wagner



" 5- Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

J. WAGNER.

AUTOMATIC GAR COUPLING. No. 559,470. I Patented May 5,1896

5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Mpdel.)

J. WAGNER. AUTOMATIC OARUOUPLING.

N0.-559,4'7O. X Rat'ented May 5, 1896.

74 in a mum ANOREW BGRAHM'L PHOTOUTNQWASNINGIOW D C.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 3. J. WAGNER. AUTOMATIC CAR COUPLING.

No. 559,470. Patented May 5, 1896.

AN DREW B GRANAWFNOTOYUIHQWASKINGTDNJJ C 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

(No Model.)

J. WAGNER. AUTOMATIC GAR COUPLING.

.PNOTO-LYTHQWASHINGTU N D C (No Model.) J WAGNER 5 Sheets-Sheet 5. AUTOMATIC GAR COUPLING.

P tenspd May 5, 1896.

w mR EUR M'inesss.

NITED A STATES ATENT OFFICE.

JULIUS W GNER, or ASCIIERSLEBEN, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF TO FRANZ JORDAN, or KOTHEN, GERMANY.

AUTOMATIC CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 559,470, dated May 5, 1896. Application fi led February 18, 1896. Serial No. 579,791. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JULIUS WAGNER, of Aschersleben,in the Empire of Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Car-Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in such railway-car couplings in which hooks and loops are employed for connecting the railway-cars; and the objects of my improvements are, first, to provide a mechanism whereby the loop is caused to close and to swing open automatically on pushing the one car against the other; second, to afford facilities in handling such mechanism while avoiding every mistake; and third, to provide means for closing and opening the loop from the car sides by hand, if so required. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a horizontal sectional view of parts of two neighboring railway-car frames, taken in the plane of the line q 7' in Fig. 6, the said frames being each provided with my automatic car-coupling. Fig. 2 shows the left half of Fig. 1 on an enlarged scale. .Fig. 3 shows the right half of Fig. 1 on an enlarged scale. Fig. 4 is a front view of the left earframe, taken in the plane of the line .9 t in Fig. 1; Fig. 5, avertical longitudinal section taken in the plane of the line w o: in Figs. 1 and 2; Fig. 6, a vertical longitudinal section taken in the plane of the line y z in Figs. 1 and 2, while assuming both loops D to be closed; Fig. 7, a vertical cross-sectional view taken in the plane of the line u 'u in Figs. 1 and 2; Fig. 8, an elevation of the little carriage for turning the coupling-loop; Fig. 9, a vertical crosssection of the same through the line 701 in Fig. 8, and Fig. 10a ground plan of the same; Fig. 11, a ground plan of one handle B; Fig. 12, a vertical sectional view of same through the line m n in Fig. 11, and Fig. 13 a vertical cross-section of same through the line 0 p in Fig. 11; Fig. 14, a ground plan of one central lever H, and Fig. 15 an elevation of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

The car-frame, consisting in the end beams A, the longitudinal side beams A the diagonal struts A sundry cross-stays A and stayplates A is provided with brackets A for the draw-bar B.

to near its center and are here elastically connected and adjusted in any of the manners used in European railway-cars. Each The latter is made in two 5 5 halves that reach from each end of the car draw-bar half is adapted to slide in the direction of its axis and is made square for the part B, so as to prevent it from turning in the openings of the frame-beam A and of the bracket A. At the outer end the draw-bar is provided with a hook B and an eye B The loop D is connected to the drawbar B by means of the knuckle O and is so arranged that it may turn both vertically around the horizontal pin C in the knuckle O and horizontally with the knuckle C around the ver' tical pin O in the eye B The draw-bar ends with the hooks B B and the loops D D at the two ends of one car are made alike; but they are placed in opposite directions to each other, so that the loop D at the right car end will swing open in one direction and the loop D at the left ear end will swing open in the opposite direction. On connecting two cars the loops D D at their ends opposed to each other will therefore be on opposite sides of the centerline, as is shown. in Fig. 1. For this reason all cars provided with my couplings may be connected with each other, no matter whether the one or the other end of every car points at the locomo- 8 5 tive.

The loop D is madedn one piece with the arm D, to which the bent and slotted spring E is linked at E,while it is guided by the two prongs or projections D of the arm D. The 0 9 At the bottom face of the frame-beam A J the little carriage shown in Figs. 8 to 10 is arranged to run. It consists in the body F of a E-shaped section, the bottom bar F with the pin F", the bearings G G, and the guidewheels G G. The carriage is pressed from below against the frame-beam A by the weight of the loop D, transmitted to it through the arm D and the spring E. The pin F engages in the slot E of the spring E, so that on the carriage moving along the frame-beam A it turns the loop D around the pin 0, while the guide-wheels G serve to reduce the friction and by their flanges to prevent the carriage from getting off the frame-beam A.

In the car-frame the vertical shaft His pivoted,which carries the central lever H. The one arm 11 of this lever is formed as a toothed sector (see Fig. 14) and meshes with the rack F (see Figs. 8 to 10, also Fig. 6,) attached to the body F of the little carriage. The other arm of the central lever H is linked to the plunger I, which is adapted to slide in the box 1 pivoted at 1 and is pressed outward by the spiral spring I. Thereby the central lever H is obliged on being moved from one of its extreme positions through the middle one to spring into the other'extreme position, where it is kept by the spiral spring I. The stroke of the central lever II is limited on the one side by the lug F against which the little carriage F strikes, and on the other side by the draw-bar part B of the other car, on which the loop D is pressed. For the latter reason the central lever II is caused to oscillate a little about the one extreme position when the cars are running in curves, and the little carriage F will therefore move a little to and fro.

Near the buffers P P the two vertical shafts M M are pivoted and made to slide up and down. They carry each two bell-cranks, of which the lower ones 0 O are fast and the upper ones L L loose. The points 0 0 L L of these bell-cranks are so formed that the back ends Q Q of the buffer-rods P P may strike at them and thereby turn back the bellcranks. The two arms of the central lever II are connected with the bell-cranks O L on the two shafts M M by the rods K N K N in such a manner that the two bell-cranks O L at every shaft M always assume the extreme positions opposed to each other.

On the two vertical shafts S S the handles R R (shown in Figs. 11 to 13) are fastened, the arms R R of which are so connected by the rod T that the handles R R are placed in opposite directions to each other; but they are directed alike, whether the service-man be on the one or on the other side of the car. Each handle R has a sector R with a sloping face, on which the corresponding shaft M bears. WVhen the handle R at the lower end of Fig. 2 is turned from right to left, the two sectors R R will raise the shafts M M simultaneously, so that the points 0 O of the lower bell-cranks O 0 will come into the plane of the buffenrods P P and may be hit by the rod ends Q Q. 011 the other hand, when the handle R is turned from left to right, the two sectors R R will lower the shafts M M simultaneously, so that the points 0 O of the lower bell-cranks get out of reach of the buffer-rod ends Q Q, while the points L L of the upper bell-cranks L L will come into the plane of the buffer-rods P P. The arm R of the one handle R is connected with a plunger movable in a box inside the spiral spring U, much in the same manner as the one arm of the central lever 1-1 is connected with the rod I inside the spiral spring I. The box holding the said plunger and the spiral spring U is pivoted in bearings U at the diagonal strut A The handles R R are thereby kept in their extreme positions and made to spring immediately into the opposite extreme positions when once they are moved by hand beyond the middle positions. The stroke of the handles R R is limited by the projections R R provided at their sectors R. (See Fig. 13.) Besides the two handles R R at each car end there are two handles X X, which are on the shafts X X and connected with each other by means of the levers Y Y and the rod Z. To the one shaft X the lever V is fastened, which is connected by means of the rod V" with the lever V, keyed on the shaft H of the central lever H. Thereby the two handles X X are obliged to partake in the motions of the central lever II and in those of the loop D.

In Fig. 1 the parts of the car-coupling at the left car are shown in their respective positions when the loop D is swung open, while the parts of the coupling at the right car are shown in the opposite positions in correspondence with the loop D being closed. The handles X X serve to move the loop D by hand, if so required. Both the handles X X and those R R show at a glance the positions of the loop D and of the shafts M M with the bell-cranks O L O L. They are so arranged that the service-man standing on either car side will know that the loop D is closed or swung open if both handles X R before him point at the same side or that the loop D is about to be closed or swung open if the two handles X R point at opposite sides. Of course this arrangement of the handles with respect to each other may be reversed, if so preferred.

The handling of my car-couplin g is done in the following manner: W'hen two cars standing at some distance from each other are to be connected and the loops D D at their opposite ends are in the open positions, as shown in Fig. 2, the handle R on any side of each car is turned from right to left, while the handle X is left undisturbed. Then the sectors R R will have raised the points 0 O of the lower bell-cranks O O and brought them immediately before the back ends Q Q of the buffer-rods P P. Afterward the drawbar halves of each car, by means of some Well-known gear, are pulled out so far that the loop D of either car is enabled to reach over the respective hook B of the other car, if the buffer-disks P P of the two cars just touch each other. The one car is then pushed forward by the locomotive or otherwise against the other car, so that on the bufferrods P P of the two cars being pushed in their back ends Q Q strike against the bell-cranks swung open and the latter disconnected.

O O at their points 0 O and throw them into their opposite extreme positions. The bell-cranks O 0, through the rods N N, will then have thrown the central levers H II and thereby through the rods K K also the other bell-cranks L L into their respective opposite positions. At the same time the central levers II II will have pushed the little carriages F F to the other side, so that the loops D D of the two cars swing into their closed positions and reach over the opposite hooks B B Of course the central levers II II will, by means of the levers V V, the rods V V, the levers W IV, the shafts X X, the levers Y Y, and the rods Z Z, have thrown the handles X X from right to left. These handles will now indicate that the loops are closed. Now the draw-bar halves B B are again pulled in, so that the hooks B B approach to the brackets A A, as shown in Fig. 2,, and thereby lock in the loops D D. The points 0 O of the bell cranks O O having got out of reach of the buffer-rod ends Q Q the buffer-rods P P are free to move in and out. stantly buffed without further interference with their couplings.

hen two cars are to be disconnected, the

handle R on any side of each car is turned from left to right, while the handle X remains undisturbed. Then the sectors '5'. R will have lowered the points L L of the upper bell-cranks L L and brought them immediately before the back ends Q Q of the buffer-rods P P. After pulling out the draw-bar halves of each car to free the loops D D and allow them to swing open the two cars are buffed by the locomotive or otherwise, so that on the buffer-rods P P of the two cars being pushed in their back ends Q Q strike against the bell-cranks L L at their points L L and throw them into their opposite positions. Thereby the loops D D of the two cars are Of course the handles X X will at the same time be thrown from left to right and then indicate that the loops are swung open. As the points L L of the bell-cranks L L are now out of reach of the buffer-rod ends Q Q, the buffer-rods P P are again free to move in and out without further interference with the couplings.

When two cars touching each other are to be connected by hand, their draw-bar halves are pulled out, the handles R R on any car side are turned from right to left, and after ward the other handles X X likewise from right to left, whereby the loops D I) are moved into their closed positions. After pulling in again the draw-bar halves the two cars are connected and ready for service. In a si1nilar manner the cars may be disconnected by handt'. e., first the draw-bar halves are pulled out, then the handles R R, and after them the handles X X are turned from left to right.

The parts of the car-coupling shown in the drawings may be replaced by their equiva- Therefore the two cars may be con-' lents. For example, the loop D may be made in one piece with the knuckle O and the slotted spring E. The little carriage shown in Figs. 8 to 10 may be altered in its construction ac cording to the circumstances.

Having fully described my invention, I dea draw-bar, and a loop attached thereto and swinging around a vertical axis for engaging a hook and having an arm, of a carriage moving to and fro at the car-frame for turning said loop by means of its arm, substantially as set forth.

3. In a car-coupling, the combination with a draw-bar, and a loop hinged thereto and swinging around for engaging a hook and having an arm, of a carriage moving to and fro at the car-frame for turning saidloop by means of its arm, substantially as set forth.

4. I11 a car-coupling, the combination with a draw-bar having a hook and aneye, of a loop hinged to said eye and swinging around a vertical axis for engaging a hook and having around a vertical and around a horizontal axis and arranged for engaging an opposite hook and having an arm, and a carriage moving to and fro at the car-frame for turning said loop by means of its arm, substantially as setforth.

6. In a car-coupling, the combination with a draw-bar having a hook and an eye, of a knuckle hinged to said eye and swinging around a vertical axis, a loop hinged to said knuckle and swinging around a horizontal axis and arranged for engaging an opposite hook and having an arm, a slotted spring hinged to the arm of said loop, means for ad justing said loop in its horizontal position, and a carriage moving to and fro at the bottom face of the car-frame and having a pin for engaging in the slot of said slotted spring and thereby turning said loop around the vertical axis of said knuckle, substantially as set forth.

7. In a car-coupling, the combination with a carriage moving to and fro at the bottom face ofthe car-fra1ne and having a pin, of a draw-bar having ahook and an eye, a knuckle hinged to said eye and swinging around a vertical axis, a loop hinged to said knuckle and swinging around a horizontal axis and ar ranged for engaging an opposite hook and having an arm, a slotted spring hinged to the arm of said loop and bearing against said carriage,

whereby said loop is held in the proper horizontal position,while said pin of said carriage engages in the slot of said slotted spring for turning said loop around the vertical axis of said knuckle, and means for adjusting said loop in its horizontal position, substantially as set forth.

8. In a car-coupling, the combination with a carriage moving to and fro at the bottom face of the car-frame and having a pin, of a draw-bar having a hook and an eye, a knuckle hinged to said eye and swinging around a vertical axis, a loop hinged to said knuckle and swinging around a horizontal axis and arranged for engaging an opposite hook, a slotted spring hinged to said loop and bearing from below against said carriage, and means for adjusting said slotted spring, whereby said loop is held in the proper horizontal position, while said pin of said carriage engages in the slot of said slotted spring for turning said loop around the vertical axis of said knuckle, substantially as set forth.

9. In a car-coupling, the combination with a carriage moving to and fro at the bottom face of the car-frame and having a pin, of a draw-bar having a hook and an eye, a knuckle hinged to said eye and swinging around a vertical axis, a loop hinged to said knuckle and swinging around a horizontal axis and arranged for engaging an opposite hook an d havin g an arm, a slotted spring hinged to the arm of said loop and hearing from below against said carriage, and an adjusting-screw spindle arranged in said loop-arm and bearing against said slotted spring, whereby said loop is held in the proper horizontal position,while said pin of said carriage engages in the slot of said slotted spring for turning said loop around the vertical axis of said knuckle, substantially as set forth.

10. In a car-coupling, the combination with a draw-barhaving ahook and an eye, of a loop hinged to said eye and swinging around a vertical axis and arranged for engaging an opposite hook, an adjustable slotted arm attached to said loop, a carriage moving to and fro and pressed by said adjustable slotted arm from below against the bottom face of the car-frame and having a pin engaging in the slot of said slotted arm for turning said loop, a rack attached to said carriage, a central lever located at the car-frame and having two arms, the one of which is formed as a toothed sector meshing with said rack, a plunger linked to the other arm of said central lever, and a spiral spring swinging around a vertical axis and pressing said plunger outward, so that said central lever and through the parts connected thereto said loop are held in either of two extreme positions, substantially as set forth.

11. In a car-coupling, the combination with a draw-bar B having an eye B and a hook B to be engaged by an opposite loop, of a loop D hinged to said eye B and swinging around a vertical axis C for engaging an opposite hook, a central lever H located at the carframe and pressed by a pivoted spiral spring I into either of tWo extreme positions, means for imparting the motions of said central lever H to said loop D, a vertical shaft M sliding up and down and having a fast bell-crank O and a loose bell-crank L, the points 0 and L of which are formed to be struck by the back end Q of a buffer-rod P, means for raising and lowering said shaft M, whereby said points 0 and L are brought alternately before the buffer-rod end Q, and rods K N connecting said bell-cranks O L with the two arms of said central lever H, so that on the buffer-rod P being pushed in its end Q strikes against either said point 0 or said point L and throws said bell-cranks into their opposite extreme positions, when said loop D will either close or swing open, substantially as set forth.

12. In a car-coupling, the combination with a draw-bar B, of a loop D hinged thereto and swinging around a vertical axis 0, a central lever H located at the car-frame and pressed by a pivoted spiral spring I into either of two extreme positions, means for imparting the motions of said central lever H to said loop D, a vertical shaft M sliding up and down and having a fast bell-crank O and a loose bell-crank L, the points 0 and L of which are formed to be struck by the back end Q of a buffer-rod P, rods K N connecting said bellcranks O L with the two arms of said central lever H, a handle R located on one side at the car end and having an arm R pressed by a pivoted spiral spring U into either of two extreme positions, and a sector R with a sloping face attached to said lever B and placed under said shaft M for raising and lowering same, whereby said points 0 and L of said bellcranks are brought alternately before the buffer-rod end Q, substantially as set forth.

13. In a car-coupling, the combination with a draw-bar B, of a loop D hinged thereto and swinging around a vertical axis 0, a central lever H located at the car-frame and pressed by a pivoted spiral spring I into either of two extreme positions, means for imparting the motions of said central lever II to said loop D, a vertical shaft M sliding up and down and having two bell-cranks O L arranged to alternately assume extreme positions opposed to each other, the points 0 and L of said bellcranks being formed to be struck by a bufferrod end Q, means for raising and lowering said shaft M, rods K N connecting said bellcranks O L with the two arms of said central lever H, a lever V attached to the shaft of said central lever H, a handle X located at one side of the car end and fixed to a vertical shaft X, a lever W fastened to said shaft X, and a rod V connecting said lever IV with said lever V, substantially as set forth.

14. In a car-coupling, the combination with a draw-bar B, of a loop D hinged thereto and swinging around a vertical axis 0, a central lever H located at the car-frame and pressed by a pivoted spiral spring 1 into either of two extreme positions, means for imparting the motions of said central lever H to said loop D, avertical shaft M sliding up. and down and having two bell-cranks O L arranged to alternately assume extreme positions opposed to each other, the points 0 and L of said bell-cranks being formed to be struck by a buffer-rod end Q, rods K N connecting said bell-cranks O L with the two arms of said central lever H, ahandle R located at one side of the car end and having an arm R pressed by a pivoted spiral springll into either of two extreme positions, a sector R with a sloping face attached to said lever R and placed under said shaft M for raising and lowering same, a handle X located at one side of the car end and fixed to a vertical shaft X, a lever \V fastened thereto, and a rod V connecting said lever IV with said lever V, substantially as set forth.

15. In acar-coupling, the combination with a draw-bar B having an eye B and a hook B to be engaged by an opposite loop, of a loop D hinged to said eye B and swinging around a vertical axis 0 for engaging an opposite hook, a central lever H located at the carframe and pressed by a pivoted spiral spring 1 into either of two extreme positions, means for imparting the motions of said central lever H to said loop D, two vertical shafts M M sliding up and down and having each a fast bell-crank O and a loose bell-crank L, the points 0 and L of which are formed to be struck by the back ends Q Q of the bufferrods P P, means for raising and lowering said shafts M M simultaneously, whereby said points 0 O and L L are brought alternately before the'buffer-rod ends Q Q, and rods K N K N connecting said bell-cranks O L on every shaft M with the two arms of said central lever H, so that on the buffer-rods P P being pushed in their ends Q Q strike against either said points 0 O or said points L L and throw said bell-cranks into their opposite extreme positions, when said loop D will either close or swing open, substantially as set forth.

16. In a car-coupling, the combination with a draw-bar B, of a loop D hinged thereto and swinging around a vertical axis 0, a central lever H located at the car-frame and pressed by a pivoted spiral spring I into either of two extreme positions, means for imparting the motions of said central lever H to said loop D, two vertical shafts M M sliding up and down and having each a fast bell-crank O and a loose bell-crank L the points 0 and L of which are formed to be struck by the back ends Q Q of the buffer-rods P P, rods K N K N connecting said bell-cranks O L on every shaft M with the two arms of said central lever H, two handles R R located on both sides at the car end and having arms R R pressed by a pivoted spiral spring U into either of two extreme positions, a rod T connecting said arms R R and two sectors R R with sloping faces attached to said levers R R and placed under said shafts M M for raising and lowering them simultaneously, whereby said points 0 O and L L of said bell-cranks are brought alternately before the buffer-rod ends Q Q, substantially as set forth.

17. In a car-coupling, the combination with a draw-bar B, of a loop D hinged thereto and swinging around a vertical axis 0, a central lever H located at the car-frame and pressed by a pivoted spiral spring I into either of two extreme positions, means for imparting the motions of said central lever 11 to said loop D, two vertical shafts M M sliding up and down and having each two bell-cranks O L arranged to alternately assume extreme positions opposed to each other, the points 0 and L of said bell-cranks being formed to be struck by the buffer-rod ends Q Q, means for raising and lowering said shafts M M simultaneously, rods K N K N connecting said bell-cranks O L on every shaft M with the two arms of said central lever H, a lever V attached to the shaft of said central lever H,

two handles X X located on both sides of the car end and fixed to vertical shafts X X, two levers Y Y fixed thereto, a rod Z connecting said levers Y Y, a lever W fastened on one of said shafts X X, and a rod V connecting said lever WV with said lever V, substantially as set forth.

18. In a car-coupling, the combination with a draw-bar B, of a loop D hinged thereto and swinging around a vertical axis 0, a central lever H located at the car-frame and pressed by a pivoted spiral spring I into either of two extreme positions, means for imparting the motions of said central lever H to said loop D, two vertical shafts M M sliding up and down and having each two bell-cranks O L arranged to alternately assume extreme positions opposedto each other, the points 0 and L of said bell-cranks being formed to be struck by the buffer-rod ends Q Q, rods KN K N connecting said bell-cranks 0 L on every shaft M with the two arms of said central lever H, two handles R R located on both sides at the car end and having arms R R pressed by a pivoted spiral spring U into either of two extreme positions, a rod T connecting said arms R R two sectors R R with sloping faces attached to saidlevers R R and placed under said shafts H M for raising and lowering them simultaneously, two handles X X located on both sides at the car end and fixed to vertical shafts X X, two levers Y Y-fixed thereto, a rod Z connecting said levers Y Y, a lever W fastened on one .of said shafts X X, a lever V attached to the shaft of said central lever H, and a rod V connecting said lever W with said lever V, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JULIUS WAGNER. lVitncsses:

RUDOLPH FRICKE, Orro DOEDERLEIN. 

